Syria's medical facilities main target of Assad regime
A report released this week by the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) reveals that in the last seven months 172 attacks were carried out that specifically targeted medical facilities, slamming the U.N. for failing to respond to attacks on local hospitals and medical establishments in several areas of Syria.
The report, "The Failure of the U.N. Security Council's [UNSC] 2016 Resolution Number 2286 in Preventing Attacks on Healthcare in Syria," accuses the U.N. of failing to act in response to these attacks, while stating that at least nine instances of cluster ammunition - prohibited under international law - were used to directly target hospitals. Furthermore, there are seven reports of incendiary weapon use and four reported cases of bunker buster bombs used to destroy underground infrastructure, the report indicates. "On May 3, 2016, the U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 2286, condemning attacks against medical facilities and personnel in conflict zones. Yet, following the adoption of this resolution, the rate of attacks on healthcare establishments increased by 89 percent to one attack every 29 hours. Comparatively, August 2016 saw the highest number of attacks on healthcare institutions since the conflict began in 2011, with 41 attacks documented," the report indicates.
Calling on officials to assist in improving medical facilities, the report said: "More investments in hospital fortification is needed, as the sheer number of attacks as well as the advanced and unconventional weaponry being used have further strained the country's capacity to provide healthcare. The SAMS's two most fortified hospitals were bombed out of operation by bunker buster munitions. These weapons were used at least four times against medical facilities during the reporting period."
Hospitals in Aleppo, a city under siege and continuous bombardment by the Assad regime and its allies, were the most heavily targeted with 73 of 172 attacks in Aleppo targeting medical facilities. Confirming the Kremlin's role in the bloodshed, the report said: "Before Russia's intervention in support of the Assad regime, the rate of attacks on medical establishments was one in four days from January 2015 to September 2015. Following the Russian intervention in October 2015, that rate doubled to one attack every 48 hours. The Assad regime and Russia's offensive on Aleppo resulted in a rate of attacks on medical facilities of one per day in November 2016."
These attacks did not exclude any type of medical facility. Birth centers, incubator units, primary health centers, asthma centers, insulin clinics, psycho-social support centers, ambulatory facilities, vaccination centers, makeshift hospitals and even a forensic medicine center were targeted several times. Ambulances were attacked 12 times, once in a cross-fire incident, 11 times by air to surface bombardment and most recently in a theft incident by an armed opposition group," it added.
The report said the U.N. resolution was useless as the Assad regime and its allies did not follow the rules, actually increasing their attacks on medical facilities as the conflict wore on. "Following the UNSC Resolution 2286, the rate of attacks increased to once every 29 hours - an 89 percent increase. A staggering 199 of the 252 attacks documented in 2016 occurred after the UNSC Resolution 2286 was implemented. The rate of attacks on healthcare in 2016 as a whole was once every 34 hours and 45 minutes, much more severe than the rate of once every four days in 2015."
The report, "The Failure of the U.N. Security Council's [UNSC] 2016 Resolution Number 2286 in Preventing Attacks on Healthcare in Syria," accuses the U.N. of failing to act in response to these attacks, while stating that at least nine instances of cluster ammunition - prohibited under international law - were used to directly target hospitals. Furthermore, there are seven reports of incendiary weapon use and four reported cases of bunker buster bombs used to destroy underground infrastructure, the report indicates. "On May 3, 2016, the U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 2286, condemning attacks against medical facilities and personnel in conflict zones. Yet, following the adoption of this resolution, the rate of attacks on healthcare establishments increased by 89 percent to one attack every 29 hours. Comparatively, August 2016 saw the highest number of attacks on healthcare institutions since the conflict began in 2011, with 41 attacks documented," the report indicates.
Calling on officials to assist in improving medical facilities, the report said: "More investments in hospital fortification is needed, as the sheer number of attacks as well as the advanced and unconventional weaponry being used have further strained the country's capacity to provide healthcare. The SAMS's two most fortified hospitals were bombed out of operation by bunker buster munitions. These weapons were used at least four times against medical facilities during the reporting period."
Hospitals in Aleppo, a city under siege and continuous bombardment by the Assad regime and its allies, were the most heavily targeted with 73 of 172 attacks in Aleppo targeting medical facilities. Confirming the Kremlin's role in the bloodshed, the report said: "Before Russia's intervention in support of the Assad regime, the rate of attacks on medical establishments was one in four days from January 2015 to September 2015. Following the Russian intervention in October 2015, that rate doubled to one attack every 48 hours. The Assad regime and Russia's offensive on Aleppo resulted in a rate of attacks on medical facilities of one per day in November 2016."
These attacks did not exclude any type of medical facility. Birth centers, incubator units, primary health centers, asthma centers, insulin clinics, psycho-social support centers, ambulatory facilities, vaccination centers, makeshift hospitals and even a forensic medicine center were targeted several times. Ambulances were attacked 12 times, once in a cross-fire incident, 11 times by air to surface bombardment and most recently in a theft incident by an armed opposition group," it added.
The report said the U.N. resolution was useless as the Assad regime and its allies did not follow the rules, actually increasing their attacks on medical facilities as the conflict wore on. "Following the UNSC Resolution 2286, the rate of attacks increased to once every 29 hours - an 89 percent increase. A staggering 199 of the 252 attacks documented in 2016 occurred after the UNSC Resolution 2286 was implemented. The rate of attacks on healthcare in 2016 as a whole was once every 34 hours and 45 minutes, much more severe than the rate of once every four days in 2015."